Our Staff

Fidel Leal was born in Cuba, where he started studying piano at the age of seven. He received his Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude in 2013 from the Higher Institute of

Catalin Lari was born in Romania, and started to study music at the age of 6 playing accordion in his town of birth, Nasaud. When he was 10 years old, Catalin moved

B.M. Carnegie Mellon University, M.M. Southern Methodist University.  Charlotte Ullman is a cellist and educator based in Chicago, IL. An active orchestral and chamber musician in the Chicago area, Charlotte is a

Larissa Mapua is a Filipino-American violin and viola teacher dedicated to sharing her passion for music. Selected by the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, she performed Debussy’s String Quartet, Op.10

Julia Evans, a violinist from New York City, completed her Undergraduate degree in Violin Performance at the Mannes College of Music in 2002 and then her Masters in Performance at NYU in

Lesley Goodman has been teaching private piano and voice lessons for over 20 years while maintaining a career as a singer in Chicago and abroad. She received a music degree in Vocal

Ted McManus graduated Summa Cum Laude from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor’s degree in music, earning High Honors for his thesis, “A Group-Theoretic Approach to N-Tone Harmony.” He is a composer and

Ryan Daly is a tenor based in Chicago. He has performed with opera companies across the country, including Shreveport Opera, Opera Omaha, the Aspen Opera Theater, Miami Music Festival, and Utah Lyric

B.M.E. Illinois Wesleyan University. Aaron is a Music Educator currently teaching Elementary Music in Elgin, Illinois. He received his Bachelor of Music Education, concentrating in voice, from Illinois Wesleyan University, graduating in

M.M., Yale School of Music, B.M., Cleveland Institute of Music.  Alexa has performed extensively in the United States, Canada, England, France, Germany, Hungary, and Lithuania, and is an active orchestral and chamber

B.M., Columbia College Chicago. Andrew began studying the guitar at the age of 12 under the instruction of Jim Konsbruck. While at Columbia College Andrew studied composition with Philip Seward, orchestration with

B.A., Loyola University, Chicago. Audie received his B.A. in music from Loyola University Chicago, where his emphasis was in vocal performance. He has sung both as a soloist and chorister in everything from

B.M. Northern Illinois University While growing up in Geneva Illinois, Casey Nielsen began studying classical guitar with Roosevelt University professor, Paul Henry. Soon discovering a love for jazz music he began lessons

M.M Yale University, B.M. Peabody Conservatory. Christopher has performed extensively across North America and around the world. Under the sponsorship of the United States Information Service, Christopher Laughlin has toured in 25

B.M.E., University of Nebraska, M.M., De Paul University.  Cory Biggerstaff received a Bachelors degree in Music Education from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. After teaching in Lincoln Public Schools for a

(B. M., Berklee College of Music) is a two-time Downbeat Award winner. Gary began playing drums at the age of four. He received the Berklee Achievement Scholarship, the Berklee Achievement Grant, and

D.M.A., M.M.A. and M.M., Yale University. B.A. University of Chicago.  Dr. Keith Murphy has taught piano at the Laughlin School since 2008 and previously taught piano and accompanied middle and high school students

B.M., Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, M.M., Cleveland Institute of Music Weiwen Ma is a native of Shanghai, China. As a young child she was invited to perform numerous concerts at China’s